Ohio State Offense Imposes Its Will, Aggressive Mentality Against Penn State

The Buckeye offense got off to a fast start and stayed aggressive late in the game as they dominated Penn State on Saturday night.

The level of confidence that Ohio State's offense is operating at should legitimately scare every team across the country.

There is an overwhelming feeling that the Buckeyes think they are going to score a touchdown every single time they get the ball. They are aggressive, physical and disciplined. You often hear the term "imposing your will on your opponent" in football circles and this Ohio State offense embodies that more than most other teams I've seen in recent memory.

It certainly helps when you have a quarterback as wildly talented as Justin Fields. Frankly, that's where it starts. Without his skillset, most of this isn't possible. But it's a lot deeper than just him.

Their final scoring drive on Saturday night is a perfect example of what I'm referencing. Three plays stand out from that drive in particular, which began with the Buckeyes leading 31-19 after Penn State had just scored a touchdown on the second play of the fourth quarter.

On a 3rd and 8 from his own 40-yard line, Justin Fields stood in the pocket as the protection was breaking down. Fields was under duress with Shaka Toney in hot pursuit behind him, but you never would've known it by his calm demeanor in the pocket. He stepped to his left and waited for Garrett Wilson to break away from Jaquan Brisker. Fields through a perfect pass to Wilson near the left sideline, where Wilson caught the ball and got blasted out of bounds at the Penn State 34-yard line. The composure on that play was off-the-charts.

Four plays later, the Buckeyes went for it on 4th and 1 from the Penn State 25-yard line. The kicking game wasn't in good shape on Saturday night with Blake Haubeil leaving the game with a groin injury. Even had he been healthy, Ryan Day may have gone for it anyways.

Instead of running over the middle and trying to pick up one yard (a high probability considering how well they controlled the line of scrimmage on Saturday), Ohio State called a play-action pass over the middle of the field. Fields had a perfect pocket and threw a strike to Chris Olave for a 17-yard gain to set up 1st and goal from the 8. Supreme confidence personified.

Justin Fields

Garrett Wilson

Chris Olave

Jeremy Ruckert

Four plays later, on 4th and goal from the 1-yard line, they did it again. After previously not scoring from the 1-yard line on 2nd and goal (before taking a penalty), the Buckeyes were in another do-or-die spot. Penn State loaded the box with defenders, expecting a run. With Fields in a shotgun and two tight ends and a running back on his left hip, he got the snap, took a hard step forward and put his head down as though he was going to try and run. 

He sold it perfectly and the defense fell for the fake.

Fields popped up, stepped back, and lobbed the ball to a wide-open Jeremy Ruckert in the back left corner of the end zone for his fourth passing touchdown of the night.

“I think I needed a drink after that drive,” Day laughed with the media postgame. “That was 4th-and-1. We throw the ball. My heart was in my throat, I've got to tell you. And then we go down there. We're on the 1-yard line. We don't get in. And then we decide to throw the pass on 4th-down-and-1 on the 1-yard line. But you've got to be aggressive."

"One thing I learned early on was when you're calling these plays, if you put them in the game plan and you can execute them, you've got to call them in those moments. You have to trust it. It doesn't make it easy. I mean, it's stressful. But that was great execution.”

I think Penn State defensive coordinator Brent Pry probably needed a drink too, coach.

That touchdown essentially sealed the victory, but I thought that drive was a microcosm of the entire offensive philosophy. Ohio State plays with guts and guile, and they aren't here to make friends. With an offensive line that played terrific and elite skill position talent combined with a Heisman candidate at quarterback, you could make an argument that this offense is the best in college football.

The scary part is ... they know it and there probably isn't a team in the Big Ten (maybe the entire country) that can stop them.

“It was a big step forward to win this game on the road, but there’s a lot to be done," Day said humbly afterwards. "But I think that’s really encouraging though… that there’s a lot of work to be done, but you still play and win like this.”

***All photos are courtesy of Ohio State Athletics.***

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